Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-01-01

of cotton, TO which, however, bat little
attention was given, the growing OF wool
being better adapted to the temper and in
dolence of their native laborers
Cotton culture began to attract consider
able attention in California in 1856, at
which time a premium of $50 was offered
by the State Agricultural Society for the
best acre of cotton. How long previous to
that time its culture was engaged in, to any
extent, is not known, but il was doubtless
made the subject of experiment i'll very
small tracts for year or two. At the an
nual meeting of the society in that year,
no award seems 10 have been made, and
the visiting committee reported that in
their visits to different portions of the State
they had seen patch of cotton of extra
quality at Monte, Los Angeles county, con-
tanning less than an acre They thus leave
the inference that no other growing cotton
was seen by them. TIE President of the
society, in his address at the same meeting,
casually spoke Of cotton as d successful ex
pertinent.
In 1857 the committee examined several
specimens of cotton. The committee said
I'VE also examined, in contrast, Georgia
upland cotton, and the growth in this State
from seed taken from the same parcel, and
the
IMPROVEMENT IN FINENEss IL FIBEE
Of the native growth over the imported or
Georgia-grown was manifest and striking
and in this we have the concurrence Of
experienced spinners from the East. The
samples grown in Los Angeles county are
equal 10 the hest Mississippi or Louisiana
| cotton, and Of coarse superior to all others"
Splendid samples Of cotton grown in Shasta
county were on exhibition the same
year in San Francisco. In the fol-
| lowing years. although premiums
were offered by the Society, no awards
seem to have been made, and only slight
mention is made Of cotton, until 1862 ex-
cept in Sacramento and Kern counties in
| 1859. In the Legislature of 1862 bill was
passed offering the following premiums !:
For the first 100 bales of cotton of 300
pounds each, 5000; for the same guam
| tity produced in the first, second and third
succeeding years, 5000, 81 GOO and $500,
| respectively. Other premiums were offered
for cotton cloth. No awards seem to have
been made, or even applied for until 1865,
when Matthew Keller, of Los Angeles
county, planted and raised 10S acres of
cotton, and received the State premium of
IS, 900. In the same year there were q
number Of other cotton farms in the south
ern part Of the State, one of $50 acres, on
Kern Lake, in Kern county. In Fresno
q ltlLI Vi III GCISS as reported
Upper Kings river, and another Of the
same size at Smelling.
One of the competitors for the State
prize, in letter to the Secretary of the
State Agricultural Society, in 1866 says
The sum of our experience may be con-
sidered to be. Frst-That the Petit Gulf
and the Tennessee may be considered
THE SAFEST AND MOST PROFITABLE,
And should be planted as early as the frost
will allow. SecOnd-That the low bottom
and tule lands of the State are well adapted
to the raising OF cotton. Third-That from
the hardy nature of the plants but little
skill is required in irrigation, and that
much less water il required than would be
necessary IN the successful cultivation of
corn. Fourth-Tbat the seasons in Cali
fornia are especially favorable to the pro-
duction and the harvesting of cotton
In 1865 cotton was successfully raised
near Folsom, in Sacramento county. In
1871 Colonel J. NJ. Strong planted 100 acres
on MERGED river lands. The seed were care
fully selected, a. the yield averaged $50
pounds, or two and a half bales to the acre.
The same year 1t was raised on the red
lands in Sacramento county, in the foot
hiils Of FL Dorado, on Butte slough in
Suffer county, and in the tule sloughs near
Knights landing, in YoIo county. On
Cache creek bottom, in the last named
COUNTY, cotton grew the same year TO an
average hight of four feet. some of the
STALKS HAVING EACH 200 scILs,
In 1872 the largest acreage Of cotton was
II MERGED county, nearly 100 acres being